An Almost Fall
by PaperTazuna
Summary: When Kagome falls out the window and Inuyasha is unable to pull her back up, there is only one thing they can do. Hang on. At least, until Inuyasha has to go to the bathroom, that is. My first fanfic, it's completely. Enjoy!


_DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters or the world, it all belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, blah blah...you've heard it before, hehe._

"Inuyasha, SIT!!" Kagome screeched. The rosary around his neck glowed brightly, and for half a second, Inuyasha was frozen in mid-leap. Then he plummeted to the earth. His face made a deep impression in the dark blue rug of Kagome's room.

"Urggh..."

"Quit stalking me!" Kagome snapped. Inuyasha pulled his bruised face up out of the carpet.

"I'm not 'stalking' you, you idiot!" He shouted. "You're _abandoning_ us," He accused.

"I'm not abandoning you, I've got midterms! I'll be back, go wait for me!"

"I've waited two days, I can't wait forever! You're coming back—NOW!" Inuyasha jumped up and reached for Kagome's arm.

"SIIIIIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT!" She wailed, stumbling backwards to the window. Inuyasha slammed repeatedly into the ground. As Kagome's back pressed against the window, the glass gave out and she tumbled backwards.

"NO!" Inuyasha shouted, throwing himself towards her, despite the intense pain of six "sits" by Kagome. He managed to grasp one shoe in a taloned hand before she fell completely.

"Inu...Yasha..." Kagome wimpered. It hurt to twist her neck upward to look at Inuyasha's worried face peeking at the edge of the sill. But looking down was worse. The driveway and sidewalk were a story below. Kagome didn't know what would happen if she fell, but if she did, her grandfather would have a new reason for her to be in the hospital.

"I won't let go, Kagome," Inuyasha said. "I'm going to pull you back up, slowly." Kagome nodded, her tearstained face no longer visible as she let her head drop. Inuyasha tried to pull her up carefully. If only he could grasp her ankle...

"Inuyasha-a-a!" Kagome wailed. Her foot began to slide out of the shoe. "I'm sorry Inuyasha," she whispered. "If only I hadn't gotten so angry at you...at least we had a chance to say goodbye..."

"Stop talking like you're going to die!" Inuyasha was slightly hysterical. "I'm not gonna let you fall, so just shut up!"

"With your grip it looks like you don't have a whole lot of control over the situation!" Kagome snapped. "Here I am about to fall to my death and you're insulting me? I can't believe you..." Inuyasha's ears pricked as the sharp, salty scent of tears reached his nose.

"K-k-kagome! Stop crying! You're not gonna die!"

"Huh? I'm not crying." Kagome said, and it was true. Her voice was clear.

"Then who is?"

"Wahhh! I lost my homework!" A wailing cry resounded throughout the house. A sniffling Sota wandered into Kagome's room. "Kagome, will you help me with...ano, Inuyasha? What are you doing?"

"Sota, get _out of my room_!" Kagome yelled. Inuyasha winced.

"Don't yell so loud! You're hurting my ears!"

"Tell him to _get out_!"

"Uh, Inuyasha, where's Kagome?" Sota asked. He tried to peer over Inuyasha's shoulder, but Inuyasha batted him away with one hand.

"Get off, you're going to make me drop her!"

"Aiieee!" Kagome shrieked as her foot slid a few inches farther out of her shoe. The strap across the top of her foot was barely holding it in place, and it was the only link between her and the ground. She was thankful it was strong enough to support her without snapping, but pretty soon a snapping strap would be the least of her worries.

"This is why you should wear tight shoes!" Inuyasha shouted.

"What? It's not like you wear any shoes, so I wouldn't be talking!" Kagome snapped back.

"Well I don't find myself hanging out of windows by a shoe, now do I?"

"Oooooh, Inuyasha s—"

"No, Kagome!" Inuyasha cut her off. "Or else you really will fall!"

"Hey, Inu-oni-sama," Sota wandered back in. "Buyo's meowing. Ask Kagome what I should do." Both hands were wrapped around the fat calico cat. It turned it's wide face to Inuyasha, it's sleepy green eyes scanning his face.

"Meeeew," Buyo's meow was strange and nasal sounding. Inuyasha wrinkled his nose.

"Kagome, you're fat cat's making weird noises. What should we do?"

"Is Sota holding him wrong?" Kagome shouted, having heard the whole conversation. "Sota, let Buyo go!"

"Ok," Sota shrugged, dropping Buyo. Buyo hit the ground and spread outwards like a puddle of feline fur. The fat cat waddled it's way over to Inuyasha and rubbed against him. He was a little started, if anything, but maintained his grip on Kagome's shoe. It's kind of cute, Inuyasha realized, and the ball of calico fat rolled itself into a ball on Inuyasha's lap.

Kagome listened, and for the first time since her almost-fall a smile flickered across her face. Inuyasha had a tough exterior, but deep down he was a nice guy, and very gentle. When his sweet side came out, he was so cute! Kagome bit down a giggle as she imagined the scene taking place above her, Inuyasha blinking with confusion at Buyo's affections, running a tentative claw across his silky fur...

"Kagome! Your stupid cat pissed on me!" Inuyasha snarled. "That's it! It's dead!"

"Inuyasha, don't! If you do I'll never forgive you! Leave my cat alone!"

"Arrrrh! It ran away!" Inuyasha snapped, ignoring the girl whose life he cradled in one hand. "You there! Kagome's brother! Go kill it for me!"

"What? Kill Buyo?" Sota's eyes trembled with tears threatening to spill over again.

"You heard me! Go kill the damned thing! Curse it!" Inuyasha glared at the open door where Buyo had disappeared and tried unsuccessfully to ignore the acrid smell of cat urine staining his tunic of fire rat's fur.

"Wahhh! Mommy, Inu-oni-sama wants to kill Buuuuuuyo!" Sota ran out of the room wailing.

"Great job, Inuyasha," Kagome muttered. "How are we going to explain this to my mom?"

"What? It's not my fault! You're ugly-ass cat took a piss on me! It deserves to die!"

"Oooh, all hail the great Inuyasha! Any who defie him deserve only death. It's a cat, Inuyasha, what the hell did you expect?" Kagome mocked.

"_Your _cat, _peed_ on me," Inuyasha said quietly. "And you couldn't care less."

Kagome's mouth snapped shut. Her face flushed with shame, adding to the blood that had already rushed to her head from her hanging upside down. It was true. They'd gotten into a stupid argument, and she was now hanging upside-down from a window. The only thing between her than death or serious injury was Inuyasha. If Buyo had ever peed on her, she would have been just as upset. Inuyasha was sitting up their, in her room, covered in pee but not letting her go, and here she was teasing him. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oh, my god, Inuyasha, I'm so sorry..." She sobbed. Inuyasha's ears pricked at the sound of her sobbing breaths. He couldn't smell the tears through cat pee, but he knew she was crying. He wasn't stupid (yeah right).

"Kagome, don't cry, please don't cry. It's okay."

Far below, Kagome's grandfather was on his way back from Mr. Ujiko, a fresh jar of pickles in his arms. A drop of water plinked on the bald spot made by his receding hairline.

"Huh? Is it going to rain..." He looked up. "Oh, hello, Kagome what are you doing?"

"Nothing, er...just hanging around, ha ha ha," Kagome faked a smile. If her grandpa really knew she was about to fall fifteen feet, he'd be worried out of his mind. She couldn't do that to him.

"Say, child, I've got a new legend for you. Heard it from another shrine owner. The legend goes..."

"Now's not the time, grandpa!" Kagome cut him off.

"Oh, is the old man out there?" Inuyasha asked. "He looks like a male Kaede-baba, don't you think?"

"Eh? What's a Kaedebaba?"

"Inuyasha, please be quiet," Kagome moaned.

"Oh, is your dog-eared friend up there. Tell him I said hello. Bye, now, granddaughter!" Kagome's grandfather disappeared though the door to the kitchen. She sighed. Her grandfather was oblivious to everthing! She was hanging out a window and he was trying to tell her a new legend. Talk about your captive audience. Then again, at least he wasn't panicking...

"Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice was fearful.

"What now?" She asked. Things couldn't possibly get any worse.

"I have to go to the bathroom."

For a moment, Kagome was too stunned to speak.

"R-right now?"

"Um, yeah. Right now." Inuyasha sounded worried. "So I have to pull you back up now." He tried carefully lifting her a few inches. Her foot slid farther out of the shoe. Kagome began to sob again, loudly, this time from fear. Inuyasha tensed. He didn't know what to do. If he tried to pull Kagome up, her foot would slide out all the way and she would fall. If he let go, even for a second, she would fall. But he had to go to the bathroom. Really bad. Really, really bad. In fact, just thinking about it made him have to go even worse.

"Don't let me fall, Inuyasha!" Kagome wailed. "Please don't let go of me!"

"I won't let go of you, Kagome," Inuyasha promised. He looked around her room for something to use, anything to pull her up. Nothing. His mind raced, and his bladder throbbed. Inuyasha bit his lip. They had run out of time.

"Inu-oni-sama? Are you still mad?" Sota came creeping back into the room. Suddnely, Inuyasha had an inspiration.

"Of course not, kiddo, but I need your help," He said. "Come here, ok?"

"Ok..." Sota crept forward, unsure of what to do. Inuyasha grabbed him by the leg and dangled him out the window. Sota screamed for help, but Inuyasha ignored him. "Alright, Kagome, grab onto the brat!"

Kagome just managed to twist upwards and wrap her arms around Sota's waist just as her foot slid out of the shoe. She watched, clinging to her little brother, as the shoe plummeted to the ground and hit the driveway with a sharp crack.

"Kagome, let go, you're too fat!" Sota screamed.

"I'm not fat!" Kagome yelled back.

"Both of you, shut up!" Inuyasha snapped, grabbing Sota's other leg with his now free hand. With some effort, he dragged both Higurashis into the bedroom. Sota ran away, screaming that Inuyasha had tried to kill him.

"Oh Inuyasha, I was so scared!" Kagome threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him like she would never let go. He sat for a moment, breathing in her gentle scent, but once again, nature called.

"Um, Kagome? I really, really have to go to the bathroom."

"Oh, right. You know where it is." Kagome released him, silently thanking herself that she had showed him how to operate the wonders of the toilet three days before. As soon as Inuyasha had disappeared to relieve himself at last, her mother came charging in, red in the face.

"Kagome, your brother came and told me that you dangled him out the window by his ankles! I demand and explanation!"

Kagome would have explained. She would have told her mom the entire story, even if her mom chose not to believe it, she would have told her everything. But right then all she could do was laugh.

Deep in the bowels of the bathroom, Inuyasha wondered, "What's so funny?"

THE END


End file.
